The ladies' garland. [volume], November 04, 1826, Page 154, Image 2

About The ladies' garland. [volume] (Harpers-Ferry, Va. [W. Va.]) 1824-1828

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•Hindi. 15v incautiously suffering this ifalotjsv to
• '11' >'!f* in iif r hr* ast, ‘-hr began to give loose to
I.,isi;'im ; sh • fug-.t those rnau\ \ rt«i» s, tor \v]licit
-hr had h i i) so long and so justly applaud* d.—
•huivh u 1 and !n:st.«k*n |.s<n’mint he
’ M\r | In all t!l»: L'looni of e i-.ront«*l|t ; she
'no. in ! \ i‘h nt < . : : the happen - "t otlu is
. i \1 : ahie pen- -she t inmil; • ;t * ■! mj;:* -v'
mip-. II.ov milke what she u when ’he
H- • the | 'ii,; nt, the romp.i-siohuo- \: ma '
>' • «■' ’;tu r .!!v laboured to c5;-t11r!i a union so
nnlv, -o vj -r-tioiut: f>un !■ d, and planned
' ' TV • V. i si.- 1!, sur!,' Ill Ilk* (v to
4 0;‘ Oi.e - - ...» 1 V. . I’g t > pi MU,“ h'M* \\ •; t
intentions ; i!. nrn;nePuni * s o}' «•> i'nos ha-! keen
long- en.! si i .< •'d ! \ tedi-'M laU-aii', ' d the
• >?:•! dcVrmi' .1 the Calls*- UUr\p, tedlv ,'1 t’avor
‘ • Ins opponent, and -link his fortune to the |owe-t
peeh of (s mm f - ni the highest adlumee. I’rom
the I' arm - - of 11 1stinUMnp, l.e i \pi et* d frotll
\rian:i those assistant cs his present situation in
•pi :f» d ; hut she vms in sensible to ail his entivatii s,
and the justice «*f every remonstrance, unless he
lest separated tu rn Olinda, whom sire receded
until detestation. ( ptm compliance with In ; de
-i:esm the> ivsp« rt, she promised that lier fortune,
her interest, and lit rail, should in- at his command.
S.itumis was shocked at the propo.-.d , hi: loved ins
Wife with i»icv|»rt>si!,!e tenderers-, and infused
those tdfers w i!I) indignation, w irb u.pj to be
purchased a’ so 1 •;!* u price. Anana uih no less
•1 US' cl to fto-! In r oilers ; \r!oi, and pin:
Ucse to all that uaimth whu h she Lad .s > long en
deavored to supjirc Hepmach genet ailv Di n
duces rrcriniinahiu ; the <juai;• ! n^c to Mich a
flight, that Sabiiui-v w as marked hr destruction,
and tin* very next day upon thestieng'h of an old
f unily «lv!it, In- u a > >cnt to -ad, with none to com
fort him in ids okm r?t s hut Oiiuda. In tliis man
- m of d.stri ss, thi \ ii\c It. ge’dn r u ith resignat ion
wad even with con.f at. She provided tin- frugal
filial; and he rt id her who- emplowd in the
1A11-• idTua s of (lomos' o ni. Their lelimv
n-'i> ad !..ii«. .1 thoir rr.r.i.>uf r.:< and wIk »
? ' i :■ ' i i v had a do ' ( of i« lax. ng i;.to mil th, and
' d 'v l.ttk* ooinf its t! at*a pri-on ;di >rd-,
>aon,»’>a’.i < >i.: : i v. ( i: . to !>o of t no \ .
i:isti a < t n i.i;::-, « h bore a done of tho I . !
impOsi ,1 ; \ plOY.d. M’O. \S helH’W !' S> i > ‘ ti>. shi \Y
t d tin* !t as* coni', rn on In ■> d.-ar partr- r*s ;,'■■•<mnt,
sin: i : i:\ >1 i ni b\ tin- lo\ • ho ini'c In !n t!..
tend, r t. s v, 1, li now united them threw r. n ,t to
<i:sc<;ijovse Inn• >i-!. ; th.it so long as his do ct or,
I rated, s’u' l’k iit il all the ills ;d tm tune, and ev. i \ :
l '*" <d fuiu* an 1 t:. ndshij) ; that nothing could
m 'he her mUo: •!»!*• but Lis scorning to want hap- j
J do rathi'yp!.:.- 1 hut his s-. mp.itinsing w ith ’
her jiu asure. \ corf mewe m prison soon rob- i
■ d t’. -m of tin* little they had left, and a famine I
began to make ;! horrid appearance, vet neither ■
was found to n. :mur ; they both looked upon j
•heir little hoy. ul a i..sensible of their or bis ow n 1
hstrt'-s, *. as about the room, v itjh ine\
e' vs-.: .-. \d. ■ t an-u di, v. hen a messenger
of' ' * "in. t.e ;n that A;.a:vi was dead, and
'■"’• m a i,t relation, who
o .ht easily be pro- :
w..: n. t
c.urt >1 and burnt; in which rase all her fortune
would revert to him, as being1 her next heir at law.
A proposal of so base a nature filled our unhappy
roupio with horror; the\ ordered the messenger
i!11• 111■ *■ .Uel\ out of the room, and fa]ling upon each 1
otlmi’s Meek, indulged in agony of snnow, for now i
all 1: pc •» of relief were. ban-bed. I he messenger '
who mi !-* the proposal, howeva r, was onlv a-'-v i
t u\ Vr.an.t, to s: •:; if I the disposition of a man
dn -it om • loved and per-eentcd. This ladv, al
th tgh warped by ‘'rung passions, was naturally
k . !, jmla ions, and friendly. She found that al;
her attempts to shake the constancy or integrity • I
".'.o i lls v e: ■* iiu ll etual ; slie had therefore began j
; » reflee*, and womh r how she could so long and
so tinprov okcd, injure such uncommon fortitude
and at fret ion.
siu: had hum the next room heard the reception 1
:: en to the iiihsm ngrr, and could not avoid feeling
all the hurt* of superior virtue ; she therefore re
assumed her good.no.** of heart; she Came into 1
the room with tear-i in her eves, and acknow
K dged the se\ e; i'\ of her former treatment. She !
bestowed her iiist care in providing them all the |
necessary suppla >, and acknowledged them as the j
most desi mug heirs of her fortune. From this I
moment ^abinus cmjo\ ed an uninterrupted happi
ness with Ol.rula, and both were happy in the
fiiendsiiip and assistance of Ariana, who, living
soon after, left them possessed of a large estate—
and in her la-t moments confessed, that virtue was
the oniv path *o true glory ; and thu», however in- j
norence mav for a time be depressed, a steady per
severance will in time lead to a certain victory.
THE TP.AVEILE1L
HINDOO WIDOW >.
t\TH A CT IIIOM lll.HVI Ill’s 'I'll \ \ I I-.
“• In ri*«c:ir«l to tin1 v.unn'n, who artmdlv hum '
them- l\os, I was pre>, ., at *c> maiiv »>l those I
shoekine exhibitions. that I couhl nut persuade 1
mvself to attend nn\ more; nor is it without a
h'elin^ ofhorror that I revert to the suhjeel. I
shall endeavor, nevertheless, to describe wiiat !
passed before my eyes; hot I eannol hope to 1
, i \ i \ n] an adequate conception of the f .irlitude j
di'plaved liy those infatuated vietiinsdurinit the •
whole of the frightful tra^edv : it nei-t he s> > n
to lie believed. \V’lien travelling; fi a.in Mimed all- I
had to A era. through the teriitories of Rajahs. ;
and while the earavan halted in a town under ;
the shade until the cool of the evening, news |
reaehed us that a widow was on the point of j
hurtiine herself with the body of her inish ral. ;
I ran at once to the spot, and ^um;' to tie- . ■ j
ol a laree and nearly drv reservoir, oh.-er*. e-i.
at the bottom, a deep pit tilled with wood ; do I
hodv ol a dead man extended thereon ; a w otiian *
seated upon the same pile ; four or i'ne hrah j
mins >,• 11111”- lire to it in every part ; live middle 1
■ ‘ i
aged women, tolerably well dressed, holding !
one another by the iiatuh sinjrin-; and dancing; j
round the pit ; and a meat number of -per’a- i
tors ol both sexes. The pile, whereon laree !
iprmlito s of butter anil ml had been thrown, i
was soon enveloped in tlaun.-.aiid 1 suv the lire J
catch the woman’s garments, u hieJi were im
pregnated with scented oil. mixed with snnda
raeh and satlron powder ; hul I could not [ter
ci ivc the slightest indication of pain, or ever:
uneasiness in the victim, and it was said that
she pronounced with emphasis the words ficr.
Itre; to Sf/inly tli.it this being the tifih time she
Irid hurtled hersell for the same husband. there
"anted only two more similar sacrifices to reri
der her perfect, according to the doctrine of the
tiansinigrat. of souls; as if a certain reminis
fence, or prophetic spirit, had been im; u ted to
la r at that liniment of In r dissolution. lint this
"as only tin- commencement of the infernal
tragedy : I thought that the singh: ' and dancing
ol the live women were nothing more than sotn -
unmeaning ceremony. (heat, therefore, was
my astonishment, vi hen I saw that the Haines
having ignited the elothes ol one of these females
she east hersell headforemost into tin’ pit. ’('h
lion id e \ ample Was loll. iu ed I ■ \ a not lie i wo mu n
as soon as the llaines caught lier person. The
three women who remained, then took hold <.•
each other by the hand, resuming tie danci
w ith perfect composure ; and alter a short lap-e
nl time, they all precipitated themselves, on.
alter the other, into the lire 1 sooe haunt tin
meaning ol' these multiplied saerif'[a,,*
live women were slaves, and having witnr s.eil
t!ie deep aileciion ol their mistress, in eons,
11iif*net* ot tin- il!r.*'ss of Jirr }iusf*iu»<i. wijom v},<>
promised not to .-m \ivt-. they utic -o moved
«il!i compos-ion tliut they entered into ;in cn
_r.:'_rnn-nt to pe.i-h hy the some flames that
con-mmd tin or In lot i‘d mistress.
•• A'- I wa» le; vinjr .Surat for Persia, I witne-s
ed t!ie del oiion am! ixtrniti^ ef another widow ;
several Kii^lislimen and Dutchmen, and Mi
( leird.in. of Pali-, in re present. She Mas of the
middle a-e, and hy no means uncomely. 1 do
not e\pert, m:'!i my limited powers of expres
-ion, to convey a lull idea of (he brutish hold
Hess or fi io uei- eayety depicted on this wo
man s count' nan.a ; of her undaunted step ; ef
lb ue doin iiorn all perturbation with which
she ce.nveised.and permitted herself to be wash
ed ; ol the | i; (>| confidence, or rather cf insen
si-a;, y. m Inch she east open u< ; of her easy air.
*'• e 11 .m mo etmn ; ot her lofty carriage, void
'■ten' :• a- . ", t. win n -he was examining h-t
little rr!«.i.",i ,pes< ! .,f dry and thick millet
straw. Min an intern ixture ol' small wood;
h n she entered into tli.it cabin, sat down upon
tin f mi i it pile, pl.iet d her deceased husband's
head in h r 1 took up a torch, and, with lie
own ham). h;;hied tin: fire within, while 1 know
not li w many brahmins wa re busily engajred
in kindlin'; it without. Well, indeed, may 1
despair of representing' this whole scene witli
proper and m miim; feeling, such as 1 eiperi
encm! at the spectacle itself, or oi painting it in
colors siit'ieientlv \;iid. Mv recollection of it.
indeed. is so vii id. that it seems onlv a few da\ -
since, the horriu reality passed before im ev -